EVER since Apple released its iPhone, the iPad and innovated in the computing world with the MacBook Air, it has completely dominated homes everywhere.

But with Windows 10, Microsoft is hoping you will jump back to team Microsoft. So, wanting to see if Microsoft finally has a worthy contender again, I ditched my iPhone, iPad and MacBook for a week and installed Windows 10 on a Surface Pro 3 and the Windows 10 Mobile preview on a Nokia Lumia 930.

Windows 10 on the Surface Pro 3 alone was by far the easiest and most pleasurable experience of the week. Windows 10 is slick, intuitive and works extremely well in both the tablet mode of the Surface Pro 3 or when you’re using it like a regular laptop. The new interface works great for the modern generation of touchscreen computers, creating icons big enough and visual enough for use with your fingers, but not too big that using a normal mouse feels dumb.

Microsoft’s new lot of apps in most cases are superior to Apple’s in OS X, especially Groove Music which is considerably faster and easier to use than iTunes is. Although that’s not hard to do. Likewise, Microsoft’s internet Explorer replacement, Edge is faster and easier to use than Apple’s Safari.

You can even stream your Xbox One games to your computer, letting you keep playing when the TV is being used. This came in handy avoiding arguments with my girlfriend when the Bachelor came on and I wanted to keep playing. Okay, maybe the Bachelor was a bad example. How could you not be addicted? But regardless, try doing that on your Mac.

The new Windows 10 start menu has been a hit.Source:AP

Microsoft has paid attention to what works on mobile devices, much like Apple has, but has managed to integrate them in a vastly more intuitive way. Take Action Center for example, where it not only shows all your computer’s notifications like Apple’s notification centre does, but it also has quick access to common settings to toggle around with. It’s not a big thing, but it just shows someone has sat there and thought about what could make users’ lives easier.

Action Center is one of Windows 10’s best features.Source:Supplied

Like Apple and its iCloud and cloud storage service, Microsoft’s OneDrive is integrated throughout Windows 10. You can save any file you want in OneDrive, provided you have enough storage and you can then access them anywhere you can log in to an Outlook email account.

The execution of this on Windows 10 Mobile is great. All your documents, saved images, downloaded videos and music from your computer are all there on your phone without you needing to even think about it.

That’s not the only thing to love about Windows 10 on your phone either. The user interface is essentially a scaled-down version of Windows 10, with live icons (or tiles, as Microsoft calls them), that shows information such as the current temperature on the weather app, how many texts you have on your messaging app or when the next train is on your transport app. It’s Microsoft’s take on Android’s widgets, and it’s executed well. Every Microsoft made app is fantastic, including the keyboard, email app, maps app, camera app and Groove Music app.

I would even go as far to say that I enjoyed the Windows 10 experience more than the iPhone experience. Once you work out how to use it properly, both Android and iOS will seem frustratingly unintuitive to use. But Windows 10 Mobile still has a gaping problem that had me going back to my iPhone as soon as I possibly could.

Really nice to use, but needs more apps.

The Windows Store is essentially empty in comparison to Apple and Google’s app stores, and the apps it does have are of significantly worse quality, especially the likes of Facebook and Twitter which both feel like they haven’t been updated in years. Even Instagram only has a beta version.

It’s not just small apps either.

Fancy sending your mate a Snapchat? Ha! Good joke. What about Google Maps, a Gmail app or Google Drive? Bad news there too, buddy. Feel like sitting back and watching a cat video on the YouTube app? Don’t even think about. That’s right, Windows 10 Mobile doesn’t even have a YouTube app.

This big app problem is completely destroying Windows 10 Mobile’s chances of becoming a viable mobile alternative, and it’s stuck in a horrible catch 22 when it comes to fixing it. Developers are only interested in creating and updating apps for platforms that people are using, and people are only interested in platforms that have apps. Microsoft thinks it may have the answer to that though, with Windows 10 Mobile supporting apps made for the computing version of Windows 10. Let’s hope this pays off, because right now I am straight back to my iPhone and have no intention to return until this changes.